On September 26, 2015, Pope Francis joined the ranks of world leaders who have visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell to reflect on the contemporary resonance of the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence.  The English translation of his address, provided by the Vatican, has been added to our documents collection.

A postcard peddled by a vendor in Philadelphia anticipated the visit of Pope Francis to Independence Hall.

As Stephan Salisbury reports in The Inquirer, the President’s House site is finally being passed to the National Park Service by the City of Philadephia.  [Read the article.]

More than three years after its dedication, the President’s House site in Independence National Historical Park remains plagued by structural and mechanical issues. Read an update by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Stephan Salisbury here, and see the postscript to the President’s House Case Study.

Preparations are underway for the 2015 commemoration of the first Reminder Day demonstrations, important milestones in the gay rights movement and the history of Independence Hall. These events are now represented on the documents page by a handout from the first march in 1965, “Why are Homosexual American Citizens Picketing at Independence Hall on July 4?” Three of four pages of the original are in the Independence National Historical Park Library and Archives — now, thanks to Bob Skiba’s willingness to share materials from his files, we are able to provide access  the complete document. (Find Bob and more on LGBT history at the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archive at the William Way Community Center in Philadelphia.)

If you are considering teaching with Independence Hall in American Memory in the fall, I welcome suggestions for additional documents or case studies for this website. Just send an email to cmires@camden.rutgers.edu.  Thanks for your interest!